K-POP'S ENTRY POINT ON GLOBAL MAINSTREAM MARKETING CONTINUES TO ACCELERATE

▲This photo shows K-pop girl group ILLET during debut media showcase. (Yonhap)

SEOUL April 18 (Yonhap) -- The point at which K-pop stars are entering the U.S. and other global mainstream markets is accelerating.

South Korean debutants are making their mark on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 main single chart shortly after debut, while cases of success on short-form platforms such as TikTok, which wields strong influence among Generation Z, are not uncommon.

According to the music industry on Thursday, rookie girl group ILLIT's debut track "Magnetic" debuted at No. 91 on the Billboard Hot 100 main single chart. Their debut on this chart came just under a month after their release on March 25th.

"Magnetic" also ranked 2nd on the "Bubbling Under Hot 100" chart, equivalent to No. 102 on the Hot 100. If it hadn't been for Beyoncé's "bombardment," which entered 23 songs on that week's chart, AILET's record could have been pushed forward by a week.

FIFTY FIFTY, with last year's representative K-pop hit "Cupid," entered the Hot 100 after just four months since debut. "Cupid" recorded 44th place on the Billboard year-end singles chart with its addictive melody and easy-to-listen rhythm.

Thus, the entry of major K-pop artists into the U.S. mainstream music market, symbolized by the Billboard Hot 100 chart, continues to accelerate. This is a significant departure from the past process that took years, starting from "Korean debut → domestic success → debut in Asia such as Japan → entry into the U.S. market."

In addition, girl group NMIXX entered the Billboard 200 main album chart with their first mini-album "expergo" in April last year, just over a year and a month after debut, while NewJeans entered the Hot 100 with their first song "Ditto" in January last year, six months after debut.

Furthermore, YG's ambitious rookie group Babymonster has been maintaining a high ranking on the Spotify Global Daily Chart with their debut song "SHEESH" for the 15th day.

Senior stars leading the K-pop market continue their "longevity" trend in the mainstream market.

BTS member Jungkook's first solo album "GOLDEN" entered the Billboard 200 for 23 consecutive weeks, while the title track "Standing Next to You" charted for 19 consecutive weeks. BLACKPINK's Jennie, collaborating with The Weeknd and Lily-Rose Depp on "One Of The Girls," has stayed on the Hot 100 for 16 weeks.

△ K-pop, Breaking Through Crisis to Establish in Global Mainstream Market

The music industry sees the recent achievements as evidence of K-pop's establishment as a mainstream genre in the U.S. music market.

A large-scale entertainment company official stated, "The recent records show that K-pop is firmly establishing itself as a mainstream genre in the U.S. music market," adding, "This is impossible without widespread popularity beyond K-pop fandom."

Indeed, last year in the U.S., K-pop was streamed a record-high 580 million times on Spotify, the world's largest music streaming platform.

Moreover, according to a survey by U.S. music market research firm Luminate in 2023, S.Korean songs were found to be the second most consumed non-English music after Spanish among the top 10,000 songs streamed most in the U.S.

The official pointed out, "K-pop is in the process of being recognized by the public as a universal genre such as R&B or rock, rather than a genre targeting specific consumers."

Some argue that audition programs and extensive pre-debut content that K-pop artists go through before debut have played a significant role.

Another official from a large entertainment company said, "Babymonster has already built a wide global popularity through its pre-debut selection program," adding, "With the support of the fans in addition to the members' skills, they seem to be able to exert their strength in the global market from their debut."

△ Tapping into Global Z Generation via TikTok and Short-form Content

One of the powerful 'weapons' that K-pop possesses is short-form platforms such as TikTok, favored by the global Z generation.

In 2023, even before FIFTY FIFTY's "Cupid" gained fame domestically, a "Sped Up" version gained traction overseas on TikTok.

ILLET's "Magnetic" also succeeded in popularity with addictive music and distinctive choreography optimized for short-form content.

The number of contents using the "Magnetic" audio on TikTok reached 380,000 as of the previous day, and 360,000 on Instagram Reels.

A TikTok Korea official explained, "Users who used to 'listen' to music through streaming services are now 'watching' music on TikTok and 'discovering' music that suits their tastes," adding, "According to a survey conducted jointly by TikTok and Luminate, TikTok users have a much higher possibility of discovering and sharing new music content compared to other platforms."

In 2023, "Cupid" was ranked 1st in TikTok's global popular music ranking compiled by TikTok itself, and half of the top 10 global artists were K-pop artists, including BLACKPINK, BTS, Enhypen, Le Sserafim, and NewJeans. This indicates that K-pop is effectively utilizing TikTok.

A planning agency official for a rookie girl group said, "Members sometimes shoot TikTok challenges themselves, and sometimes pay famous influencers to upload videos using their songs," adding, "As seen in the success of FIFTY FIFTY, short-form platforms like TikTok are good stepping stones for overseas expansion."

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2024-04-18T00:56:40Z dg43tfdfdgfd